Thursday, February 26, 2009
How We Think
BAD SCIENCE ALERT!
MSNBC reports on a "study" that finds:
I've made this point before on this blog and I need, I guess, to make it again since there are "scientists" out there doing stuff like this and calling it "science."
Science comes in degrees, whether everyone wants to admit it or not. There are "hard" sciences. Physics is the only truly hard science for only in physics can a system be fully modeled mathematically and its behavior precisely predicted based on that model. Chemistry comes close behind and is still considered "hard" but it is a bit softer than physics.
There are descriptive, or taxonomic, sciences. These are sciences that in some cases may be infant hard sciences or not. Biology would be an example here. We observe all living things, categorize it, organize it, and in the effort gain understanding about it. But we cannot model it with mathematical precision, nor is such foreseeable. Some aspects of medicine; however, may be on the road to hard science. While still primarily descriptive and empirical, it is becoming increasingly predictive. Time was we would invent a compound, expose some poor animal to it and see if it had medicinal effects - pure empiricism. Nowadays we can predict not precisely, but approximately, the medicinal effects of a new compound.
Then there are phenomena that are inherently non-mathematical, but to which we apply the scientific method anyway. These are largely behavioral - psychology being a prime example. Just because you do "experiments" and try to predict human behavior, it does not make that anything like hard science.
So why do people do it?
It is a form of subjugation - simple as that. Think about it. If a value such as "science v religion" (I hate the phrase, the conflict is entirely political, but that is a post for another time) is "hardwired" then it is purely natural and subject to control - which means someone will control it.
Science is a good thing - I implore my non-scientific readers out there to learn enough science to tell the trash (like this story) from the good stuff. What's at stake is too important - it's our freedom.
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MSNBC reports on a "study" that finds:
Preston says her research shows that a dual belief system, for instance the idea that evolution explains biology but God set the process in motion, does not exist in our brains.The claim they make is that the "dichotomy" is hardwired. Only after the bump do we read:
The experiment's results actually may reveal cultural forces — a specific way of thinking about science and religion — dating back to the 19th century, Hameed said, and these have shaped people's thinking about science and religion.No fooling!
I've made this point before on this blog and I need, I guess, to make it again since there are "scientists" out there doing stuff like this and calling it "science."
Science comes in degrees, whether everyone wants to admit it or not. There are "hard" sciences. Physics is the only truly hard science for only in physics can a system be fully modeled mathematically and its behavior precisely predicted based on that model. Chemistry comes close behind and is still considered "hard" but it is a bit softer than physics.
There are descriptive, or taxonomic, sciences. These are sciences that in some cases may be infant hard sciences or not. Biology would be an example here. We observe all living things, categorize it, organize it, and in the effort gain understanding about it. But we cannot model it with mathematical precision, nor is such foreseeable. Some aspects of medicine; however, may be on the road to hard science. While still primarily descriptive and empirical, it is becoming increasingly predictive. Time was we would invent a compound, expose some poor animal to it and see if it had medicinal effects - pure empiricism. Nowadays we can predict not precisely, but approximately, the medicinal effects of a new compound.
Then there are phenomena that are inherently non-mathematical, but to which we apply the scientific method anyway. These are largely behavioral - psychology being a prime example. Just because you do "experiments" and try to predict human behavior, it does not make that anything like hard science.
So why do people do it?
It is a form of subjugation - simple as that. Think about it. If a value such as "science v religion" (I hate the phrase, the conflict is entirely political, but that is a post for another time) is "hardwired" then it is purely natural and subject to control - which means someone will control it.
Science is a good thing - I implore my non-scientific readers out there to learn enough science to tell the trash (like this story) from the good stuff. What's at stake is too important - it's our freedom.
Technorati Tags:science, religion, lousy science
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